Judge Holds 6 Out of 42 Defendants During Initial Hearings

By D.C. Witness Staff - August 4, 2020
Featured | Homicides |

On Aug. 3, DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann released 36 defendants and held six defendants in DC Jail during initial hearings.

Of those released, six did not have charges filed against them by the prosecution.

A domestic violence defendant was brought before the court on a charge of contempt of court. The defendant also has four other pending cases. Two out of the other four cases are also domestic violence related and involve similar conduct and the same victim.

Judge Herrmann decided to hold the defendant, saying he was previously barred from the place of his arrest. She also said that it appeared the defendant had the ability to be compliant on previous pretrial releases, but he failed to be compliant in the new case. 

Quinton Lewis appeared before the court as a fugitive from Virginia with an underlying charge of fraud. Judge Herrmann decided to release Lewis in the fugitive case, but he was held in another case on a parole warrant.

John Ruffin was charged with simple assault and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon. He was also held on a parole warrant despite Judge Herrmann’s decision to release him in the case brought before the court on Aug. 3. She said that, whenever Ruffin resolves his parole warrant, he will receive home confinement as his release condition in this case.

Angel White was brought before the court for a bail violation. In her underlying case, White was charged with first-degree theft. She had four pending bench warrants out for her arrest after she failed to appear for a hearing on June 4.

Judge Herrmann held White, saying she had already been placed on home confinement and in High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) but is no longer eligible for the program. She also mentioned the nature of all of the cases and that White had been previously released due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wesley Scott Jr. appeared before the court on the charge of premeditated first-degree murder. He allegedly shot 28-year-old David Deandre Young and injured a juvenile male. The defense said that Scott does not have a lengthy criminal history, and asked Judge Herrmann to consider placing him on home confinement. 

Judge Herrmann decided to hold Scott, citing the violent nature of the crime and the fact that he has a prior conviction before the age of 20, along with a juvenile criminal history.

Judge Herrmann was also held Kyree Fields, who is being prosecuted in federal court. He is being held in DC Jail until he case can be heard in federal court.

There were eight additional domestic violence cases. Judge Herrmann released them all with various release conditions, including stay-away orders, GPS monitoring and a Temporary Protective Order (TPO).

Judge Herrmann released three defendants charged with being fugitives from justice where they were all wanted in Maryland for underlying charges. She ordered them all to turn themselves in to Maryland authorities.

There were seven additional misdemeanor cases presented and all were released with stay-away orders.

Judge Herrmann released five defendants charged with felonies. Four of the defendants were ordered not to possess firearms in DC and one defendant was ordered to stay out of DC entirely.

Five defendants were brought in on bench warrants for failure to appear at their hearings, and all were released with new court dates.

Judge Herrmann released two defendants with traffic charges with orders not to drive without valid licenses.

One final defendant, charged with second-degree theft, was still in the hospital, so Judge Herrmann rescheduled his hearing for Aug. 4.